Man, 96, to face court over alleged assault of two female carers

A 96-year-old man has been charged for allegedly indecently assaulting two female carers in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, 7 News reported on Monday. 

It is alleged the two women, aged 21 and 32, were assaulted on four separate occasions at a home on Village High Road, in the suburb of Vaucluse between April and December 2017.

Following extensive inquiries, the man was arrested on May 14 after an investigation by police from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command. The man will appear at Downing Centre Local Court today on four charges of aggravated indecent assault.

The case is in stark contrast to reports of abuse in aged care situations, though usually at the hand of the carers, not the elderly.

A 2017 report from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) revealed one in 10 older Australians experience elder abuse each year and that most abuse is intra-familial and inter-generational.

Elder abuse continues to be a growing issue in society, taking form both physically and mentally. According to the Elder Abuse Prevent Unit, abuse typically occurs when there is an imbalance of power between two people. In most cases, the dominant person is known to the person being abused, meaning abuse tends to happen within a relationship of trust. Emotional, psychological, financial, physical, sexual abuse or neglect are all considered forms of abuse.

In Australia, as many as one in 10 older Australians experience abuse in older age.

Earlier this year, there were calls for hidden cameras to be installed in care facilities across the country after a shocking footage emerged of a Victorian health care worker abusing a man with cerebral palsy.

Over the past two years, elder abuse has been at an all-time high in Australia, with more cases making headlines than ever before. The Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act for the 2016 and 2017 recorded 2,853 different cases of assaults across the country.

State governments have stepped up efforts to protect residents — New South Wales government has committed $150,000 to offer more support for those at most risk — but some patients are still being taken advantage of and abused.

What do you think? Should there be more of a focus on elder abuse within the community?